MPBAGS Chapter 11

Crazy! What the hell is this?

After leaving behind the door that had been so shoddily made it broke when I just lightly kicked it, I entered the house to find Donau holding a knife to the throat of a tightly bound girl. This crazy bastard!

Wait, I just came to catch a thief who ran off with my awesome otherworld cheat summoning circle, but why has he evolved from thief to kidnapper? Don't level up by yourself!

"Kanna!"

Henna, who had followed behind me, was shocked to see the bound child. Kanna?

Since she knows the name, she must be Henna's acquaintance? Maybe someone who works at the mansion? Henna was so stunned she covered her mouth and tears streamed down her face.

What should I do? They must be close!

I couldn't forgive Donau more and more. Henna is the only person I talk to in this other world, and he just had to kidnap Henna's friend? I won't let you get away with this.

Let me show you the cruelty of a romance novel villainess. I had just made that resolution when he seemed to recognize me too.

"Evangeline Rohanson?"

Donau called my name and started trembling. Is this heinous criminal bastard who stole someone else's property and even kidnapped a child actually scared of me? It must be because he got caught in the act.

It's not like Evangeline Rohanson is some ultimate villain whose name alone would make people piss themselves in fear.

...Right? I'm not actually the world's strongest evil mastermind behind everything, am I? I don't need that kind of setting!

Ugh... My head feels a bit dizzy, but that's not what's important right now. Human rescue comes first.

"You called for me?"

Who knew being a villainess would be useful at a time like this?

It was cringeworthy, but I endured the goosebumps and just raised the corners of my mouth in a smile. The important thing was that my eyes weren't smiling. Villain smile, so easy, right?

The knife Donau was holding bothered me. There was already a line drawn on the child's neck where the blade had grazed. What should I do in this situation?

I think detectives used to say things like "Put down that knife and let's talk."

What would we talk about? What common ground do he and I have? Oh, there is one thing.

"Did you take my summoning circle safely?"

I tried to soften my words so as not to provoke the perpetrator.

Take? What taking! He stole it!

Now that I think about it, why did this bastard steal my magic circle but not summon anything and instead kidnap people? Thinking about it makes me annoyed.

"So... you, you're saying you're the owner of that summoning circle?"

"Of course. That's why I came looking for you like this."

Look at this bastard playing dumb! Stealing from my room and then feigning innocence - he has no shame whatsoever. Well, of course he's shameless if he steals things and kidnaps people.

I wanted to curse him out with all sorts of vulgar words, but I desperately held back because there was a young-looking hostage present. The summoning circle was important, but human life was more important.

"If there's something you want, tell me. If you return that child, I'll grant it."

Of course, I meant I'd listen with my ears.

I'd listen with one ear and let it go out the other, but right now I had to pretend I'd really fulfill it. I had to listen to the perpetrator's demands and exchange the hostage first, then put handcuffs on his wrists afterward.

Are there no handcuffs in the romance novel world? Then I'll deliver the hammer of justice.

"Make me, make me incredibly rich!"

Right. What else would be the reason for stealing someone else's property and taking hostages? It's all about money.

The problem was that I had no money right now. I just came out to catch a thief, so I wouldn't have brought money with me.

If that had been the purpose, he should have left a note telling me to prepare money beforehand! This bastard doesn't even know the basics of kidnapping!

"Rich? Fine. How about Count Rohanson? I'll make you a count."

So let's just smooth talk our way through this. All I have right now is Evangeline's body and status. I have to make use of even this.

Evangeline Rohanson is an only daughter, and if someone marries into the family as a son-in-law, he'd become a count, right?

Let's put aside for now the question of whether this is a romance novel world where women can also become family heads, or a patriarchal romance novel where a son-in-law must be brought in for a man to inherit.

"Count Rohanson? Yeah... I like that. It would be nice to steal that damn count's position too."

The negotiation was established. The trade conditions seemed acceptable. Well, it is a count position. Money and power come as a package deal, so there's no way he'd refuse.

"Shall we make a deal now?"

Hurry up and hand over Henna's friend to me!

I was waiting to receive the hostage, but suddenly Donau laughed with excitement and swung the knife around, heading toward the girl. Wait, what, what are you doing!

"Stop. What do you think you're doing?"

"Completing the deal..."

Ah. So he was trying to personally untie the hostage's bound hands and feet?

Phew. Thank goodness. I let out a sigh of relief and watched, but Donau seemed very unstable.

Is he really untying her? He's not going to stab me in the back, is he?

This won't do. I'd better untie her hands and feet myself. I should receive her first.

"I'll do it, so bring that knife here."

Donau frowned but obeyed well. Now was this finally the hostage exchange? But Donau approached me with the knife.

Could, could it be that I upset him? Because I spoke informally? Or gave orders? Or is it a crime that I acted so hard pretending to be Evangeline Rohanson!

I don't know what it was, but instead of calming him down, I seem to have provoked him.

This is bad, isn't it? No, let's stay calm. Let's use this as an opportunity. The important thing is that Donau is focusing on me instead of the girl.

"Henna. You rescue the child."

I spoke through ventriloquism. I spoke extremely quietly in case Donau might hear, but Henna must have sharp ears too because she nodded slightly, understanding.

I'll draw the aggro. Villainesses are originally aggro-pullers. Just trust me.

"Listen. About making you a count - that was a lie."

"What?"

"You believed that? How stupid."

Good. Nothing makes people angrier than giving and then taking back.

I laughed at him on purpose to make him mad. Ah, I laughed so hard my stomach hurts. Since it hurts, my laughter stopped.

Suddenly becoming serious isn't a bit weird, is it? But since I'd already gotten weird, I decided to go boldly.

"Why should I grant your wishes?"

"Weren't you summoned to do that?"

I wasn't! How would I have known that Henna's friend Kanna was captured and come looking? I just came to catch a thief!

"I only came because I had no choice due to my summoning circle."

Donau seemed to have nothing to say and hung his head low. I thought he was silent because I'd hit a nerve, but listening carefully, he was constantly muttering something.

"...This, this shouldn't happen. Something's wrong. I did exactly the same thing. I did as instructed, so what's lacking? Evangeline Rohanson. I did everything you told me to. Why doesn't it work for me? I can do it too. I could have become that damn count too. Please don't look at me like that. Do you, do you also think I look pathetic? Don't look at me, you demon b*tch..."

It sounded pretty crazy to listen to. Well, a normal person wouldn't kidnap his colleague's friend.

After muttering for a long time, Donau suddenly raised his head. His eyes had completely lost it.

"The preparation was perfect, so why."

Donau, who had been staring into space like someone possessed, suddenly turned his head. Henna was in the middle of trying hard to untie the knots binding Kanna's hands and feet.

"It won't come undone. What should I do? Why won't this come undone."

Henna's face was covered with tears. With her hands shaking like aspen leaves, there was no way the intricate knots would come undone.

"No, no! My sacrifice!"

Donau shouted, and Henna, hearing that sound, hugged Kanna tightly to protect her.

Donau flailed and reached out his arms. He seemed so frantic he couldn't even look at the floor properly, and a candle that got caught by Donau's foot rolled across the floor.

The kids are going to get hurt at this rate! My heart became anxious. That's when Donau completely turned his back on me.

You shouldn't expose your back to an enemy! I didn't miss the opportunity and hit Donau on the back of the head.

Huh! I thought wrong! I should have aimed for the nape of his neck, not the back of his head! The round thing just looked so good to hit.

But it was still effective. Even though I hit him with my bare hands, Donau staggered and collapsed to the floor. I passed by Donau and headed to Henna.

"Move aside, Henna."

Looking at her trembling hands, it seemed like it would be faster if I untied them rather than Henna. Henna, who had been squeezing her eyes shut, cautiously opened them and stepped aside.

As expected, it was because Henna was nervous and struggling - when I touched the ropes a few times, they came undone easily. They just snapped apart with just a touch.

"It's okay now."

One problem solved. My heart couldn't take this first spectacular incident since possessing another world.

"Kanna."

Henna, who had been standing aside, hugged the girl.

"Sister..."

"Are you okay? How did you get caught! I told you not to go outside! You just recovered from your illness!"

"I'm sorry, sister... I didn't know I'd get caught by someone like this either. I was waiting for you..."

"I'm sorry too, Kanna. I'm glad you're safe. I'm glad we weren't too late."

They were family, not friends. Watching their affectionate scene made my nose tingle. I wanted to join in the group hug too, but I was just playing a formidable villainess, so if I joined this touching moment, it would break character, right?

I gazed into the distance and dried my tears. Even if I couldn't cry along, I wanted to help.

"Your name is Kanna, right? What should we do with Donau?"

I asked Kanna, the biggest victim, about Donau's punishment.

Normally I would have reported him to the police for legal judgment, but this is another world. Plus, Evangeline is a noble, so autonomous punishment of criminals should be okay, right?

"Should we lock him up in an underground dungeon forever?"

Kanna and Henna looked at me. If you want, I'll make him eat prison food for life.

But Kanna shook her head. Could it be she thinks that's too harsh a punishment? Are you an angel? No wonder you're close with Henna. You fool, worry about yourself first!

"How's your neck?"

Now that I looked, Kanna's neck wound was deeper than I thought. A red line was drawn long across her neck like a thread.

Is there any holy water left at home? If I treat it with that, will the scar disappear too? Glorious wounds are fine as medals, but being kidnapped isn't glory.

"It's fine!"

Kanna answered with joy. Her reaction seemed a bit excessive, didn't it? I was puzzled but soon understood.

If you get kidnapped and a villainess rescues you and even worries about you, you'd be moved and react that way. Kanna is also a maid at the Rohanson mansion. There are kids who collapse just looking at me, so compared to that, this is nothing.

"Gasp."

But suddenly Henna turned pale and covered her mouth. She's not looking at me like that, is she? Henna's gaze was directed behind me. What's behind me?

Crazy, Donau!

Did I take the knife Donau was holding? I hurriedly turned my head to see a scene I hadn't expected at all.

I thought Donau would rush at me with the knife, but it was actually Donau who got stabbed.

"Did you see?"

"Yes. He stabbed his own neck."

Kanna confirmed the kill.

Donau had committed suicide. Since the only thing in his hand was a knife, he seemed to have stabbed his own neck with it. Not his wrist but his neck, a vital spot? Did he hate paying for his crimes that much?

Criminal bastards always run away by committing suicide like that because they don't want to be punished! This is the same even in another world.

"Sorry. He ended up dying."

I should have let him taste the judgment of justice...

"It's okay. This is enough for me."

Kanna's eyes sparkled brightly. Her radiant smile was as refreshing as if she had already shaken it all off. What a big heart...

"Thank you for saving me."